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This young woman was denied a job because of her ankle tattoo

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Tattoos have become increasingly popular and mundane in pop culture, especially the cute subtle ones many people have been getting on their wrists, ankles and fingers. Celebrities have taken to social media to flash their new ink and share the significance of their tattoos. So who would have guessed that a small tattoo would be the deal breaker for a young woman’s chance of landing a job?

Chontelle McGoldrick got an anchor tattoo on her inner right ankle at the age of 18 and three years later, her decision to get inked is coming back to haunt her.

“The now 21-year-old applied for a job as a flight attendant with Qantas and Emirates earlier this year, but both turned her down because of her ankle tattoo,” reports news.com.au. This came as a surprise to McGoldrick, considering she has “worked in an orthodontist’s office and a health food store and at both of those places, [having a tattoo] didn’t really matter.”

According to McGoldrick, the explanation for denying her a job had to do with cultural and religious matters.

“They said some cultures and religions find them offensive, so I was told to come back when it’s completely gone and there can’t be any scarring or marks,” she said. Further, the “airlines said getting it removed would make it easier for me to get the job in the future, because I’m already on their records.”

Both airlines were contacted by news.com.au. Emirates “confirmed their in-flight staff cannot have visible tattoos, [while] Qantas said all tattoos are to be covered and never visible when in uniform.”

Although this rule may seem unjust and quite outdated in today’s age, it is apparently not illegal to dismiss a job applicants for having tattoos. According to a spokeswoman fro Fair Work Ombudsman, “physical appearance is not a protected attribute under the Fair Work Act.” It is, however, illegal for employers to discriminate against a potential employee on the grounds of race, culture, color, sex, age, or physical and mental disabilities. As s result, if a tattoo is connected to one’s ethnicity or culture per se, and said individual was not hired because of this tattoo, this instance could be classified as racial discrimination.

Since her struggle in finding a job, McGoldrick is trying to have her anchor tattoo removed. “I just want to get rid of it so there’s no trouble like this in the future,” she tells news.com.au.

However, she isn’t the only Australian who has been dismissed for a tattoo. A tattoo removal clinic has been offering free treatments for face, neck and hand tattoos for clients under the age of 21 because they have seen so many young people miss out on jobs due to their ink.

According to Paul Roberts from InaFlash Tattoo Removal, “Tattoos do impact your career and whether you think people should care or not, for lots of employers it’s a major issue.” Roberts encourages kids and young adults to “think about the consequences” prior to getting a tattoo because he has seen so many youth requiring his services after being told no by many employers.

See Chontelle McGoldricks’ tattoo here.

Do you have a tattoo that gave you trouble with an employer? What do you think about tattoos as a barrier for getting hired? Let us know by tweeting to @YahooStyleCA